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UN promotes health campaign for women and children

23 September 2010

The world’s nations pledged more than $40 billion to battle needless deaths among poor mothers and their children, and President Barack Obama spoke about what America can do to help the U.N.’s ambitious development goals.

But the struggling world economy, particularly in the United States, raises deep concerns that the cash won’t be forthcoming. Leaders exhorted financial donors to fulfill their aid commitments.

“The crisis is no excuse for letting up our efforts, but underscores the need for actions,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said as he wrapped up the three-day Millennium Development Goals summit.

The issues of maternal and child mortality have been a particular focus of the summit, which reviewed efforts to implement anti-poverty goals adopted in 2000 “” and found them lacking. Worldwide every year, an estimated 8 million children still die before reaching their 5th birthday, and about 350,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth.

“In many parts of the world, women have yet to benefit from advances that made childbirth much safer nearly 100 years ago,” Ban said at the afternoon launch of his pet project, the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health.

“Millions of children die from malnutrition and disease which we have known how to treat for decades. These realities are simply unacceptable,” he said. “The 21st century must be and will be different.”

More than $40 billion in financial commitments by governments and nonprofit agencies were announced for the global strategy, which aims to save the lives of 16 million mothers and children over the next five years.

Aid agencies overall welcomed the prospect of more money for programs that will save the lives of mothers and children.

WHO will chair the global strategy, with a progress report delivered annually to the U.N. General Assembly.

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